Reflection of the Mind
by CapoExecutor
Summary: Post-Ringu 2. Takano Mai reflects on her life and Asagawa Yoichi.


Note: I don't own the Japanese movie Ring 2. Heh, I actually think that it was more fitting than Rasen/Spiral. Anyway, this fic came out of the back of my mind. Enjoy!

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He slept peacefully for almost the first time in months. I sometimes could do that, even knowing that your life is never the same. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever know peace and tranquility now that everything around him as withered away, leaving him open to almost anything. Although he knows what has happened, he doesn't show any emotion to it, a trait that he inherited from his father. My power has never left me entirely after that ordeal in the well, so I knew that he grieved for his parents within his heart. He tries to avoid the topic, but I knew that he would try to remember as much as he could. Children can surround themselves with memories and familiar people to try achieving that unique feeling of happiness… or more likely bury themselves in their own worlds. It was a way of motivation for them to progress through life itself. But Yoichi had nothing. His family was dead; his aunt Ryomi had killed herself months later, unable to bear the facts that Reiko and her own father Kouichi had been killed. She had lost her daughter Tomoko and that set the start of her own death, which gradually devoured her will to exist. After her death, Ryomi's husband left Japan altogether. He sent a letter to Yoichi that he had entered a monastery in Rome and that he was able to find peace there. That was the last Yoichi ever heard of him. His father, Ryuji Takayama, was murdered by Sadako's wrath. Most of Yoichi's memories gave him only pain, a terrible infliction that serves to prolong suffering upon the unfortunate to have come across it. Whatever normalcy and stability his life once held is now empty, though, he is slowly regaining them. My own life was still stable despite what I had endured. I was still a bit afraid but I wasn't worried.

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The world can collapse around you without warning, changing you into a different person. From there, the change affects those around, be it for good or bad. Whether I'm at the university or within the confines of my home, I felt different. I now teach at the university as a professor in Theoretical Mathematics, an accomplishment that I had never thought possible. I guess I could say that Professor Takayama had inspired me, even after his death. Every equation brought up memories of him, even the scribbling of the pencil against the paper. His death didn't haunt me anymore, though. Rather, I found the strength to accelerate and achieve that objective in only a few months. Even my thesis on Theoretical Equations and Balances was incredible to the point that the university asked me to finish Professor Takayama's work. When I wasn't teaching, I took time to work on Professor Takayama's thesis, which was at first very discouraging. However, fate gave me an unexpected element of motivation, one that would send a familiar face back to me.

After hearing about Ryomi's suicide some time ago, I took Yoichi into my home. He had no one else and I felt that he didn't deserve to live his life out on misery. Well… that was just one reason out of a few others. Sadako had damaged him at an age where children are very vulnerable and prone to the curses of adult life. While her influence was purged from his soul, Sadako's actions had given enough trouble to Yoichi. A child suffering an adult's life isn't the way things should be.

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Just as Professor had encouraged me to continue living, I did the same to Yoichi as a surrogate mother would. Reiko had been the light of his life, so I took that step to fill the void in his heart. Yoichi may not be my son, but that didn't stop me from loving him. It seemed strange that I felt this way, but then again, I had loved his father. Even if Professor Takayama was dead, I would honor his memory by fostering Yoichi and give him a peaceful life, aside from finishing his incomplete project. I felt that it would also put Reiko's spirit at ease, even though I had unintentionally betrayed her, a fact that still haunted me. Even though my focus on hindering Sadako was just, I would later realize that it was trivial to what Reiko saw. Regardless of the consequences, a mother would do what she can to keep her sole child alive and it was only after her death did I understand; Reiko may have wanted to stop Sadako but Yoichi's life was more valuable to her. She chose to hide and hope that the wrath of Sadako would pass away so that Yoichi would live. I once heard that being shot at made you more alert and able to think more clearly. But it would sometimes lead to irrational decisions. I understood Reiko's resolve while others saw it the other way. Even though Yoichi had later forgiven me, I still couldn't find the heart to forgive myself. Maybe I will as long as Yoichi lived.

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I was surprised that fostering Yoichi was easy, although I had a feeling that he tried his best not to be a burden. I guess back then, Reiko must have taught him well on being independent, knowing that the press was an arduous job that took a lot of her time. I probably would label myself to be too dependent on my folks if I were his age. Even though my teaching post at the university and my late professor's thesis took much of the day, I found that it left me with time to spare. With or without Yoichi, I would visit the graves of his father and mother, praying for them. For Yoichi, it was for a different reason. The sense of family still lingered in his heart and I guess he wanted to keep it alive, by first seeing to it that his parents were buried together side by side. They weren't the only ones he visited as he once led me to the graves of his aunt Ryomi and her only child Tomoko. Sometimes, we would walk together at night under a sky full of stars to find peace and quiet from the day's pressures. Every now and then, I kept my eye on Yoichi, hoping and even praying that he would be able to overcome his loss. If there was ever a moment that Yoichi ever wept in anguish, it happened only within the confines of his room. He sometimes even blamed himself for letting Sadako get the best of him.

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When I had lost my professor, I thought I couldn't take any more steps to live. But I was wrong. I knew now that I could still go on at whatever pace I chose. Sitting next to him on the bed, I ran my hand across his forehead before sliding my arm around him, leaning close to cradle him to my heart. His family may be gone, but he will never be alone. Because I will be with him and no one, not even Sadako herself, will rob Yoichi of his life.

"Yoichi, you're never alone." I whispered. "They haven't truly died. They will always be with you, whether in this life or in the next. Yoichi, I want you to remember that there are those who still love you, even me. No matter how sad things are or how dark the day is, I will be close to you. Never forget that. "

One day, we will continue onward, away from the ring of time. Only those who stay within the ring of time are dead. The living do not belong there.

-Fin-

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The last few sentences were from the Ring 2 manga.


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